"Good for Casual Fan"

My home club's recently built stadium. It is architecturally nice, but the design encourages a casual atmosphere.

Location

Ample parking but slow to get in and out of. Can park at the nearby rail station and walk 20 minutes or take a bus. Other busses run to the stadium, too. The club operates a shuttle between the stadium and downtown (specifically, the lively San Pedro Square Market).

View

Seats are comfortable. Excellent view of the pitch from every section. Standing room sections behind each goal are also an option for those who want to be closer.

Facilities

Toilets are nice. There are also water fountains.

Food & Drink

Beer is available at the LOBINA (largest outdoor bar in north america). "What's the largest in the world?" I asked. "Ireland." my friend answered. Also there's beer and hot dogs and snacks at concession stands. The beer is a bit expensive.

Behind the LOBINA are a number of food trucks. Options here include tacos, korean street food, and chicken & waffles. These food trucks are nice, but also slightly expensive.

After the match, Chicano dudes with push-carts will sell you hot dogs in the parking lot. These are wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled onions/peppers and mayonnaise. These are cheap and you pay with cash. Very, very yummy.

Police & Stewards

American soccer is pretty tame. Security sometimes gives unnecessary trouble to the ultras.

Atmosphere

The main seats are removed from the pitch. This is good for sightlines but poor for atmosphere. No fans at pitch level making noise and the fans are less engaged overall. For Earthquakes games, most of the fans are very casual. At the south end, the San Jose Ultras make some noise. They used to make great noise, but their numbers have dwindled as the club has been very poor for many years. At the north end, smaller supporter groups make very small noise. They hate the ultras and so play their own drums to their own songs, creating a rather confusing, unconvincing atmosphere overall. The atmosphere would be better if the club was not awful on the pitch, but the stadium's design also encourages casual fandom.

Write your own review of PayPal Park

Have you been to PayPal Park? Write a review!